Catheters including electrodes, such as cardiac catheters, are sterile devices. However, electrode surfaces may not be completely clean at all times. For example, manufacturing residues or oxides may form on an electrode surface, resulting in poor electrogram rendering. Additionally, modeling systems may generate distorted models if sensor electrodes are unclean.
Accordingly, electro-cleaning, or electro-polishing, may be used to clean electrode surfaces to improve electrograms and reduce modeling distortion. At least some known cleaning systems submerge an electrode to be cleaned in an industrial bath (e.g., a phosphoric, sulphuric, or nitric acid bath), and conduct a current between the electrode to be cleaned and a separate, sacrificial anode/cathode located in the bath.
Further, this cleaning is typically done prior to package for sterilization purposes, and sterilization procedures applied after the cleaning may leave a residual material layer on electrodes. Finally, at least some known cleaning systems are utilized in an industrial setting, and are not feasible or available for use in a clinical setting (e.g., immediately prior to use with a patient).